RESEARCH commissioned by HSBC reveals Brits from the South West take just 23 hours to decide to make an offer on a house purchase, six hours fewer than when they are organising what to wear and where to go for a date (29 hours).

In fact, when quizzed, they take longer to decide which holiday to book (five days), and only five hours less when choosing new shoes (18 hours) or purchasing jeans (18 hours) than they do to make an offer on a house.

The research polled 2,022 UK homeowners and current house hunters to reveal how rapidly they can make up their minds about one of the biggest purchases in their lifetime.

It’s clear it doesn’t take long to decide.

One in seven (14 per cent) decide to put an offer on a house in under two minutes when viewing a property, whilst only one per cent could choose what to wear on a date in this time frame.

Customers regularly report to mortgage advisors, once they are ‘sold’ on a house, they become completely focused on moving in as quickly as possible.

The decision to buy a house is rapid however the process is notoriously long and complicated with the average house hunt for UK Brits taking 89 days.

When it comes to mortgage applications, just over two fifths (42 per cent) of respondents stated the process took longer than expected.

Half of the people surveyed said it took up to three weeks to get their most recent application approved, whilst one in twenty (five per cent) wished they had more help with their mortgage.

HSBC has just launched a Mortgage in a Day approval service to help house hunters get mortgage approval in just 24 hours.

Phil Spencer, TV presenter and property expert comments: “Time can make all the difference when it comes to buying a house.

“The property market can move very quickly so people may feel pressured to make a fast decision or to follow their gut instinct when buying their dream home.

He continued: “It’s important to be prepared and to know what to look for.

“The whole house buying and mortgage process can be stressful but if you know what time-saving financial services are out there, it can give you one less thing to worry about.”

Tracie Pearce, head of mortgages at HSBC, commented: “You’d expect UK house hunters to spend more time to make an offer on a house than deciding on a pair of shoes or what to make at a dinner party but it’s a sign of the times that people are making house decisions quickly to buy their dream home.

“We want to make a mortgage approval process as easy as possible so people have one less thing to worry about during what can be a stressful process.

She continued: “Getting a mortgage approved in less than 24 hours with our Mortgage in a Day service can make all the difference in helping house hunters achieve their goals more quickly, leaving more time for them to get on with the rest of their lives.”

People from South West England can look out for HSBC’s Mobile Mortgage Clinic next month, which will be travelling around Bristol, to gain valuable advice from our specialists to help you get a mortgage in a day.

To find out more about HSBC’s Mortgage in a Day service visit hsbc.co.uk/1/2/onedaymort gage